Investing in the Three Villainesses Gives Me Infinite Returns

Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, gradually filling the room with a warm golden glow, and Natasha was the first to wake.

Her eyelids trembled before her eyes slowly opened, and the first thing she noticed was Elias holding her just as tightly as she had been holding him throughout the night.

His face was hidden against her chest, making it impossible for her to see whether he was awake, but his calm and steady breathing reassured her that he was still asleep.

However, her attention soon shifted downward when she felt something hard pressing against her thighs.

Natasha froze.

Considering the difference in their heights, her thighs were positioned directly in front of Elias’s lower body, which meant that her husband was, in a rather literal sense, stabbing her with his dagger first thing in the morning.

Her face gradually became flushed.

She had never experienced such contact before, and she had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to react to it.

Of the three wives, Stella was the tallest, Natasha was the second tallest, and Monica was the shortest, while Elias stood taller than all three of them.

The blood of steel flowing through his body was partly responsible for that, but the true reason his physical potential was so extraordinary was the Three-Star Harmonic Dragon Physique hidden within him.

Unfortunately, the seal placed upon that physique prevented both his body and mind from progressing naturally in combat.

It was a seal that should not have been possible in the current era, and even among the most extraordinary magical restrictions known to the world, it could almost be described as transcendental.

Natasha knew none of that in complete detail, yet she knew enough to understand that Elias was far from ordinary.

For now, however, she had more immediate concerns.

She continued lying there, feeling the warmth against her thighs while Elias’s arms remained wrapped around her body, and the strange situation reminded her of the first time he had held her.

It had been the very day he had promised to find a way to teach her the mystical method of conveying through thoughts.

She had begun to trust him.

As his wife, she had cared for him because it was her duty, and she had believed that he did not intend to harm her, but that kind of trust was different from the deeper trust she now found herself beginning to develop.

The difference was simple.

Trusting someone because you knew they meant no harm was one thing, but trusting someone because you knew that, no matter what happened, they would choose you above everything else was something entirely different.

How could she possess that kind of trust when the marriage binding them together had been arranged by his clan rather than chosen by him?

She did not want to think about it that way, yet her thoughts inevitably returned there because she had already witnessed how easily people could change when their circumstances changed.

A few more minutes passed before Elias finally stirred.

His eyelids slowly opened, and after blinking away the remnants of sleep, he immediately felt the warmth of Natasha’s embrace.

He looked up with a sleepy smile and sent a Mental Whisper.

[Good morning.]

Natasha smiled faintly and nodded.

Elias then shifted slightly, only to realize that something was pressing against his body.

His gaze slowly lowered, and he froze.

’Dammit!’

He immediately understood what had happened and gave Natasha an awkward, wry smile as he carefully moved one hand away from her waist.

[You should get ready for the day,] he said, trying to sound as natural as possible.

Natasha glanced downward for a brief moment, then looked back at him before giving a small nod and preparing to step down from the bed.

[Wait!] Elias suddenly stopped her.

She turned toward him with a confused expression, wondering why he had suddenly changed his mind.

He, however, had a very good reason.

The way they had been lying and the difference in their heights meant that if she stood up normally, her body would lower slightly relative to him, and there was a chance that the dagger currently pressing against her thigh could slip past it and reach somewhere he had never reached before.

He had no intention of allowing that to happen accidentally.

Therefore, Elias immediately rolled away from her toward the opposite side of the bed and created as much distance as possible before sending another Mental Whisper.

[You can go now.]

Natasha remained confused for a moment, but she did not stay behind to question him and instead left the room to prepare for the day.

The moment the door closed, Elias lowered his head against the pillow and muttered, ”Why do you stand up every time like you are getting paid for this?!”

He remained there for a while, waiting for the troublesome reaction to subside, and once it finally did, he too left the room to take care of what needed to be done.

Some time later, Elias and Natasha sat together at the dining table for breakfast, but Stella was nowhere to be seen.

Elias had intended to ask Benjamin whether he knew where she was, yet the old butler had already left for the market, leaving him alone with Natasha.

That would normally have been perfectly comfortable.

Unfortunately, every time Elias looked at Natasha, his mind immediately returned to the events of that morning.

He quickly looked away whenever their eyes met, which only made the situation feel more awkward.

Soon enough, Sara and Lena entered the dining room carrying the morning meal.

To Elias’s surprise, Stella was walking behind them.

She had a wide smile spread across her face, and there was an excited glint in her eyes as she hurried toward the table and took the seat directly across from Elias.

Elias stared at her for a moment.

’Why is she acting like this?’

Sara and Lena carefully placed the plates and bowls onto the table, but both maids wore slightly troubled expressions.

Elias noticed it immediately.

His gaze slowly moved downward toward the meal in front of him.

’What the...’